This weekend was spent with my wife's family at a cabin in scenic central Pennsylvania. There was no cellphone service, television, or even a radio to disturb the natural beauty around us. Instead I found myself enjoying early morning walks on a quiet country road, catching up on some reading, playing Scrabble with family, and cradling the tiny frame of Harper (our 4 month old great-niece) when I could wrest her away from my wife's arms. With no time to write my blog I decided to revisit one of my earliest posts from March 2007. The topic seems an appropriate reflection for my personal experience the past few days and speaks to every leader's need for quiet time. I hope you will enjoy it.
I doubt if anyone would argue with me that we are inundated daily with more information than we can handle. Most of us struggle to deal with the multiple demands on our time - voice mail, email, meetings, cell phone calls, text messages - enough already! Does knowing more and getting it faster make us better leaders? Who among us has the capacity or stamina to keep up? Does one have to be Superman or Superwoman to be truly effective?
Leaders have a special responsibility to inspire those we serve and it is difficult to be inspiring when our heads are exploding. How many of us have a daily routine that includes pausing to listen and reflect? One of my favorite Bible verses is Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God." Regardless of your faith perspective this is prescriptive advice for today's "do everything" mentality of leadership. It is in the silence that we can listen - to our hearts, to our family, to our employees, and to our customers. Taking a deep breath, clearing our minds, and waiting for a word from God is the only way we can recharge our mental and emotional batteries. Meditating and reflecting heightens our awareness of what really matters, allows us to sort through the clutter, and rebuilds our capacity to serve. Silence heals, renews, and cleanses us so we can absorb new ideas, connect more closely with what and whom we love, and experience the presence of God in a personal way.
I confess that practicing silence isn't easy for me. My brain tends to race in a dozen directions at first but, if I am disciplined to wait and listen, eventually my spirit succumbs to the sweet music of the Soul - to the sound of silence. It is at these moments that God can speak (even shout at times) and I am finally ready to hear the message. There is energy in this place of quiet reflection. Silence is the place where faith flows freely, where wisdom has a voice, where dreams are birthed, and possibilities are imagined. Revisiting this special sanctuary every day can transform how we as leaders perform. More importantly it can change who we are.
Robert Greenleaf offered this key question for us to ponder: "In saying what we have in mind, will I really improve on the silence?" How would the persons you love and serve assess your leadership if they were asked this question? What would my own clients, colleagues, family, and friends say about me? Perhaps we all need to turn off our cell phones and abdicate our email in-boxes. Let's reconnect with the human spirit by meeting with and listening to each other. Could practicing silence actually improve the silence when our message is finally delivered?
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